For either layout you will need to cast each of the following molds 10 times: the #300 Station Builder mold, the #320 5/8" Pipe mold, and the #321 3/8" Pipe mold.

I cast these pieces out of gray dental plaster, but you can use white plaster instead if you like. The casting will take the average person about 1 full day and the pieces can be glued together in a few hours.

After you complete these, feel free to make your own custom pieces any size you want. The beauty of casting pieces is that you can always make more and build whatever you want.

At the end of this article are links on how to finish this layout in either the modern plant or the abandoned plant versions.

Building Tips
To build the chemical plant you will need to cast each of the following molds 10 times: The #300 Station Builder mold, the #320 5/8" Pipe mold, and the #321 3/8" Pipe mold.

1.

Once cast, be sure to sort the blocks into piles. This photo shows what 10 castings of each mold will look like. You can click on the photo to see a larger version of the pieces. For these instructions, I'm going to show castings from each mold in different colors:

Mold #300 pieces will appear in gray.These are the basic concrete block shapes.

Mold #320 pieces will appear in blue.These are the large pipe pieces.

Mold #321 pieces will appear in red.These are the small pipe pieces.

2.

Be sure to check out the Tips & Tricks 26 page. This page gives you a lot of helpful tips on how to glue these pipes together accurately and how many of the pieces are used.

3.

I've used 2 different painting methods on these pipe pieces. The one on the left is a new chemical plant, and the right one is an old abandoned plant.

For the new looking plant, do not glue the large sections together until after they are painted. These pieces will be spray painted, and getting the paint into the recesses of the pipes is difficult if you glue them all together.

For the old abandoned plant, you can glue them together completely because these will be painted with a brush and reaching the recesses will not be as difficult.

4.

You'll save yourself some time if you pre-glue the valve handles to the bases and also glue the tank top halves together.

When finished, you'll have 20 small valves, 10 large valves, 5 large tank tops and 5 small tank tops.

5.

Be sure to have a ruler on hand. Most of the pipes you will have to measure in order to be sure you are using the correct length of pipe.

To build the chemical plant you will need to cast each of the following molds 10 times: The #300 Station Builder mold, the #320 5/8" Pipe mold, and the #321 3/8" Pipe mold.

The pieces shown here are arranged by the mold they come from. Look at the mold number at the top of the photo to determine which mold each of the pieces is from.

2.

Glue the basic blocks shown and add the small ells onto the corners.

Glue two 1.5" pipes with ells on the ends. Glue two more leg sections using the 45 deg. ells in them.

3.

Take a 1" square block and glue the 3" large pipe and 90 deg. ell on each side. Be sure that the pipe rims are flush with the back side of the square block. We want the whole pipe and block combination to fit against a flat surface.

Add the small saddle and small valve onto the top along with the 1" long angled block on the side.

4.

These are all the pieces you need to assemble the first coolant control station.

If you are going to spray paint the pieces, then do it now, before you glue the whole thing together.

If you are going to paint them with a brush, then you can go ahead and glue the pieces together to form the completed item.

5.

Glue the pipe pieces onto the back side of "A".

Glue the 1" square against the front side of "A" and add the two overlapping pipes to make the finished unit.

The pieces shown here are arranged by the mold they come from. Look at the mold number at the top of the photo to determine which mold each of the pieces is from.

2.

Glue the small pipe section together.

Glue the large pipes on each side of a 1" x 1/2" x 1/4" flat block. Glue a 1/4" spacer between the ells.

Add the small pipe piece at the bottom. Lay down a panel piece to set the pipe on but do not glue the panel under it. The panel is there to space up the pipe piece to the correct height.

3.

These are two different pipe sections you need to assemble. Both use the 3/4" x 1/2" x 1/4" support blocks under them. The support blocks are turned on their side.

It is very important that the support blocks are moved in 1/2" from the left edge on both pieces. These pipe sections will eventually have smaller pipes laid beside them and if you don't move the support blocks in from the edge, the smaller pipes will not lay against these properly.

On the lower photo, be sure to move the support blocks in on both sides.

4.

This floor section is made with two 1" blocks and four 1" tiles.

Then, add the skinny long blocks on the side and cap the end with the 1/2" wide tiles.

5.

Glue the pipe sections shown.

Make a 1.75" tall tank body following the tank top instructions. Be sure to use the 1.5 diameter tank top for it.

6.

These are all the pieces you need to assemble the main pump.

If you are going to spray paint the pieces, then do it now, before you glue the whole thing together.

http://www.hirstarts.com. All photos, articles and plans are copyrighted by Bruce Hirst and may not be used without permission. "Castlemolds(R)" is a trademark of Hirst Arts Fantasy Architecture Inc. For more information contact bruce@hirstarts.com.